MAC Paint Pots are my favorite cream shadow thus far. They're delightfully pigmented, they spread well, and they've got amazing slip for something so... not creamy.
A lot of people use these as their go-to primer, and I can see why. I know the big favorites tend to be Painterly and Soft Ochre, but my personal favorite is probably Constructivist.
My favorite thing about Paint Pots in general is that shadow just seems to really stick to it. It's easy to layer a less pigmented color on top of a Paint Pot to get a lot more out of it, and I find myself using it this way a lot.
Moreover, it's one of the few products that don't crease on me at all. When I do my makeup with this all over the lid and in the crease, I usually skip primer completely. It just seems superfluous to me, though I do know people who prefer to double up and use primer beneath. Heck, even when I use this all alone, it lasts all day.
I like the texture of these. They aren't quite what I'd call 'creamy'; they have slip, but not as much slip as something I'd call a true cream product (like Nyx Jumbo Pencils, for example, which crease like crazy on me without primer). They're not dry in texture, but they're dry-ish to the touch, if you know what I mean. They are still smooth though, offer even coverage and don't pull at the eye in application. I feel like dry is the wrong word, but I can't think of the right one: I'm thinking the opposite of greasy, but not powdery. Help me out?
These have one main advantage over regular primer for me: blending on top of this just feels a lot smoother, and it's easier to make an even gradient on top of these than a regular translucent primer. The funny thing is, it takes a longer time because the powder shadow sticks more to the surface of this product and there's more drag between the shadow and base, but the end result is often more evenly blended and a lot nicer to look at. I hope that makes sense.
The only reason I don't use these more often is because I just prefer a colorless base most of the time.
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| Constructivist |
A lot of people say that Paint Pots dry out, and I think that freaks some people out a little more than it should. Mine has shrunk a little in the jar, but the texture is exactly the same as when I first bought it, and it's been well over a year. I'm not sure if this will dry out completely in the future, but it's hardly as though these last a month and you have to chuck 'em.
- Pigmented.
- Incredible wear. It stays on all day on me. There's no need to set it with powder or use primer beneath. I often use Paint Pots to just do one-and-done eyes--this shade in particular is very flattering on me, in my opinion.
- I think this shade would look great for a lot of neutral or brown looks on lighter skin. It's even more versatile for darker skin, like mine.
- Shadow sticks very well to this.
- I like the way blending looks on top of Paint Pots. It's a bit more effort than a regular primer, but the result looks more precisely done, at least for me.
- Goes on evenly.
Nothing for this!
The Neutral:
- Some say these have dried out on them. I've had mine for over a year, using it a few times a month (five or six, maybe?), and I always shut the screw on lid completely. Mine feels and applies the same as always, though it's shrunken in the jar a bit.
These are currently $17.50 from MAC.
